ACTFL Announces Election of New President-Elect, Board Members 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Marty Abbott703-894-2900

San Antonio, TX—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is pleased to announce that Peter Swanson, Associate Professor of Foreign Language Education at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA, has been elected President-Elect of ACTFL for 2015.

Dr. Swanson serves as Coordinator of K-12 Foreign Language Education and as Director of Graduate Studies. He teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses focused on K-12 methodology, technology integration, assessment, and research in second/foreign language. He currently serves ACTFL as co-chair of the ACTFL-NFMLTA/MLJ Emma Marie Birkmaier Award and the national ACTFL/CAEP Audit Team.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve alongside so many dedicated professionals,” said Swanson. “It is vital that we continue to advocate for language study and to provide opportunities for students at all levels to become proficient in a second language.”

Dr. Swanson will serve as ACTFL President in 2016.

Also elected to the ACTFL Board of Directors for three-year terms beginning in 2015 were Lisa Lilley, International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program Coordinator for the Springfield, Missouri Public Schools, and Fernando Rubio, Co-Director of the Second Language Teaching and Research Center at the University of Utah.

“ACTFL is pleased to welcome such highly qualified members to join our Board of Directors. We know that their knowledge and expertise will be an asset to the governance structure of ACTFL as we continue to implement our strategic plan and move our organization forward.” said Mary Lynn Redmond, ACTFL President.

ABOUT ACTFL
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is the national association for language education professionals from all levels of instruction and representing all languages. With more than 12,500 active members, ACTFL provides innovative professional development opportunities, acclaimed training and certification programs, and widely cited books, publications, scholarly journals, research studies and language education resources, including Foreign Language Annals and The Language Educator magazine. As part of its mission and vision, the organization provides guidance to the profession and to the general public regarding issues, policies, and best practices related to the teaching and learning of languages and cultures. ACTFL is a leading national voice among language educators and administrators and is guided by a responsibility to set standards and expectations that will result in high quality language programs.